Goodyear Plant Asbestos Exposure

Ohio Asbestos Lawyer

Representing Ohio Goodyear Plant Workers in Mesothelioma & Lung Cancer Claims

Thousands of former and current employees of Goodyear Tire & Rubber in Akron and other rubber plants around the country are at risk of serious health issues as a result of asbestos exposure. The Goodyear plant in northern Ohio was known for having asbestos throughout the workplace.

Numerous lawsuits are still pending against Goodyear in Ohio, Texas, Florida, New York, and  Pennsylvania. Tire production workers may have exposed to asbestos-containing products like tiles, furnace hoses, gaskets, and heat shields. Long-term, and even short periods of serious exposure to asbestos can lead to mesothelioma and other cancers. The federal law today requires that newly manufactured products and materials cannot contain more than one percent of asbestos.

The toxic material in question gained popularity for many years for its flexibility, strength, and resistance to heat, flame, and corrosion. It is now known to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer and other illnesses but regulations did not occur until the extreme hazards were brought to light. Workers who were employed in the rubber manufacturing industry prior to that time may have an increased risk of developing cancer.

Unfortunately, even with the knowledge that workers were facing serious health hazards, corporations like Goodyear carried on manufacturing dangerous products, and failed to warn employees of the risks.

Joe Lyon is a highly-rated Ohio Toxic exposure attorney representing plaintiffs nationwide in a wide variety of toxic tort and mesothelioma claims.

Hazards to Ohio Goodyear Plant Workers

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron is best known for producing automobile tires but it also manufactured a number of other products, including rubberized gaskets which contained asbestos. Some rubber manufacturing plants may have even used raw asbestos in rubber mixtures to produce rubber sheets that were used for gaskets, seals and electrical insulations.

Rubber manufacturing workers may have been exposed to talc used during the molding process. The talc dust used by workers was often contaminated.

Regardless of their position in the past 50 years, most rubber factory workers faced an occupational exposure. Production sites were built with asbestos bricks, drywall, and heating and water pipes. Toxic gaskets were used to seal pipes, pumps, and equipment.

The following positions are considered high-risk:

• Assembly line workers—belts and belt drives were often reinforced with asbestos fibers
• Maintenance Crews
• Warehouse part pickers
• Mechanics

Goodyear Plant Asbestos Risk

An uncovered corporate document in the Goodyear archives from as early as 1939 showed the company’s medical director issuing a warning about the dangers of asbestos dust and asbestosis.

Asbestos fibers can circulate through the air where they are easily inhaled or ingested and lodged in the tissue surrounding the lungs. This may lead to the development of cancers, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

An inspection report showed the plant operation was “exceedingly dirty with asbestos.” OSHA compliance data for the industry indicate over-exposures to asbestos.

Mechanics have also been highly exposed to the toxic products produced by Goodyear and other tire companies. Mechanics in body shops, bus stations, and other manufacturing facilities may have come into contact with brake pads, gaskets and toxic clutch parts.

Rubber Plant Asbestos Risk

There have been questions about the safety of these old rubber and tire plants in Ohio and nationwide. Did the management know about the health risks? They certainly did in the 1970s. But did they do anything to improve the working conditions? OSHA Safety information was definitely not where it is today, but most experts think more could have been done to protect workers.

Rubber factory workers may have been exposed to asbestos products at other Ohio manufacturers. Some of the notable include:

• Uniroyal—Port Clinton, Ohio and Painesville, Ohio
• B.F. Goodrich—Akron, Ohio
• Firestone—Akron, Ohio
• General Tire—Akron, Ohio

Symptoms of Asbestos-Related Illness

Asbestos-related cancers have a long latency period, and workers may not be diagnosed until many years after exposure. When they do present, symptoms of lung diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma may include:

• Chest Pain
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Trouble swallowing
• Swelling of the abdomen

Goodyear Plant Settlements

A New York State jury found Goodyear at least partially responsible for the death of two lung cancer victims who previously worked at Goodyear Tire & Rubber and were exposed to asbestos-containing gaskets produced by the company. The families of the victim were awarded a combined $22 million in damages.

A Dallas, Texas jury awarded over $18 million to family members of a deceased tire builder who was killed after being exposed to cancer-causing asbestos fibers at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. subsidiary. The jury concluded that Goodyear was grossly negligent in allowing the victim of mesothelioma to be continually exposed to asbestos. The verdict included $15 million in punitive damages.

An Asbestos Trust totaling $80 million was set up in 2004 after insurance giant Travelers reached a settlement with attorneys representing tens of thousands of U.S. rubber workers with asbestos claims. The fund was to cover about 14,000 of those were from Ohio, many of them Akron-area rubber and auto workers who died or developed serious illnesses from toxic exposure.

Compensation for Goodyear Plant Employees

Employees of Goodyear and other rubber plants may have been put at risk by their employers and various manufacturers of toxic products. If former Goodyear employees have fallen ill, or have been diagnosed with lung conditions, it may be a result of Mesothelioma Cancer. Affected employees may have a claim against Goodyear, and may consider seeking medical and legal assistance.